Rachael Blackmore's mam Eimir has paid a powerful tribute to her groundbreaking daughter as she gears up for another tilt at Aintree.
Last year, the Tipperary native made the jump to superstardom on the back of her Cheltenham heroics when she became the first female jockey to win the Grand National onboard Minella Times.
It completed an incredible few weeks for her as she had similarly shattered through a glass ceiling at Prestbury Park as she was the first woman to land the Leading Jockey title after winning six races over the week.
In the video Eimir reflects on how Rachael's first pony Bubbles 'didn't have any brakes but that never bothered Rachael'.
Eimir also explains that her daughter has always been obsessed with winning and recalls her once stating 'In whose world is second any good?'
She also reflects on how her success wasn't a straightforward trajectory but states that Rachael's self-belief never wavered before the winners eventually started to come in droves.
The video ends with Eimir proudly highlighting that for all of her daughter's success, she remains a grounded person with strong values.
At one point she says: "It's no good having success if you aren't a decent human being."
That quote speaks to how Rachael carries herself as she is always quick to share the credit in any post-race interview.
It's that kind of humble approach that has really seen her become one of Ireland's most beloved sportspeople.
In 2021 she was duly awarded RTE's Sportsperson of the Year while she also picked up international awards such as the BBC's World Star of the Year which saw her win a vote ahead of the likes of Tom Brady, Novak Djokovic, Max Verstappen and Canelo Alvarez.
Having now become the first woman to take home The Gold Cup this year, who's to say she might not continue to clean up at the end of the year awards should she have another successful outing at Aintree?
No matter what goes down at the famous festival throughout the next few days, you can keep up to date with every race on our live blog here.
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